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I am ordering some new rims off the net from a private seller, but whenever i do this customs or the shipping company charges me up the ass on duties and taxes cause they consider the item a retail item.

How can i avoid this? what do i tell the seller?
I dont feel it's right to have to pay an extra 25% in taxes and duties if it's a used item.

What do you mean by friends in the states? What do they do for you? I'm not ordering from a store like tirerack.com so there shouldn't be any taxes. You dont get taxed at a garage sale do you? =)

Maybe i'll just get the guy to deliver it to michigan and then i can go pick thepackage up there?

It's just freakin' retarded cause for example, i ordered ellipsoids from germany for $300CDN shipping included
and when they got to my door, canada post gave me a bill for $114.50!! frig man...
i hate it

I get my parts delivered to friends who live close to the border and visit them. Then I install or drive back the parts. And yes, if you don't have a receipt they can charge you what they think the parts are worth.

By "they" I mean the border patrol or whatever they call themselves, not the seller, sorry.

My friend tried that scam but wound up getting taxed on the insured value of the package, so I don't know if your idea will work - unless you're willing to risk underinsuring a parcel, which isn't a risk worth taking.

I'm buying these nice chrome 18" rims for $500 from florida off some guy from roadfly.com

I'm going to tell him to put a value of $125 on each box so that customs doesn't think they're $4000 for the whole lot which would be shocking because i'm sure i'd see a hefty bill of $450 or something for delivery in my mailbox =/

I'm assuming now that's what customs did when they saw my headlamps =/

Yeah Im sick of getting raped by extra costs. UPS charged me 50 bucks to pick up a pair of shoes once. And customs always charges extra hidden fees, what I do is get the seller to say its a used item and that it is a gift

Yeah i'm trying to get the seller to do the same.
I attempted to do that with the ellipsoids, but maybe because of the language barrier (me being english and the seller being german) he didn't know how, or didn't understand.

I hope i can get these wheels without trouble. They're really sweet, and right in my budget range (which is very small seeing as how i should pay off my car first before anything)

Here's the scoop..... I've bought so much sh*t from the States, and gotten away with most of it. Here's what I did. I opened up a P.O. Box in Niagara Falls N.Y. (right by the Outlet Mall). That is the mailing address I use. The P.O. box costs nothing if you don't use it. They charge $5.00 to receive a small package, $10.00 for medium, and $15.00 for a large (ie: wheels). Once they get it, you receive a phone call and drive over and pick it up... they charge $5.00/day storage if you take forever.

Now, here's were it gets tricky. I usually install the stuff, or smuggle it across when there's a Buffalo game on that night. Sometimes I wait until I go for a 4 day trip, and when I return I"m allowed to import more value$$$. With wheels, its actually easy. You install them there in the parking lot and ship yourself the stock (dirty, used) steel wheels paying minimal taxes because you label the package as "antique auto parts" (no tax on old sh*t).

It's that easy.

P.S. There are no real performance shop in the Buffalo area, but if you buy coilovers any local Speedy can install them for the drive to Toronto until you get a proper alignment.

Here's the scoop..... I've bought so much sh*t from the States, and gotten away with most of it. Here's what I did. I opened up a P.O. Box in Niagara Falls N.Y. (right by the Outlet Mall). That is the mailing address I use. The P.O. box costs nothing if you don't use it. They charge $5.00 to receive a small package, $10.00 for medium, and $15.00 for a large (ie: wheels). Once they get it, you receive a phone call and drive over and pick it up... they charge $5.00/day storage if you take forever.

Now, here's were it gets tricky. I usually install the stuff, or smuggle it across when there's a Buffalo game on that night. Sometimes I wait until I go for a 4 day trip, and when I return I"m allowed to import more value$$$. With wheels, its actually easy. You install them there in the parking lot and ship yourself the stock (dirty, used) steel wheels paying minimal taxes because you label the package as "antique auto parts" (no tax on old sh*t).

It's that easy.

P.S. There are no real performance shop in the Buffalo area, but if you buy coilovers any local Speedy can install them for the drive to Toronto until you get a proper alignment.

empowerd, can you give me more info. on the P.O. box?
ie. do i need to go down to the Falls to register for a mailbox?
And is it located besides the outlet mall, the one right after crossing boarder? How often does the custom inspect you car for goods when crossing boarder? Thanks in advance.

I just ordered some rims and bodykit lastnite, ur post comes just right on time